Hard of Hearing

dori2o

Have you looked into voice recognition software or talk type services.

It may be worth looking into it and then discussing the matter with your employer.

Also as has been advised speak to your employer and ask if they wuld be willing for an Access to Work adviser to come in and do a workplace assessment. There may be other adjustments that can be made that people have not yet thought about.

The good thing with Access to Work is that they may be able to provide financial assistance to your employer for any specialist equipment/services that you need in order fr you to remain in your job.

usefulmale

As a fellow hard-of-hearing, I would urge you to drop phones altogether and have all communication via email. The benefits for you are a firm record of who said what and when.

I don't know about the culture at your workplace but at my previous office job, any screw-ups were attributed to 'usefulmale didn't hear / misheard what was said'.

My hearing loss cannot be corrected via hearing aids so that worked for me. Many people seem to assume that hearing aids do they same for hearing as spectacles can do for some visual disabilities. They can't. Hearing aids may add, say 30% to someones hearing but as I have a 75% loss in each ear (and getting worse), even if hearing aids COULD help me, I would still have at least a 45% loss of hearing in each ear.

Sncjw

They don't help with clarity at all. I have a dead ear in my right and severe loss in my left and although the sound is louder it isn't clear for me. I really struggle with background noise, tv, different people speaking. With the tv it isn't clear it is a blur of noise that's why I use subtitliesl

Dosh have you tried any loop system phones where you place hearing aid on t setting and then the phone call is placed direct in your ear. If that doesn't work well for you then ask work to communicate via email or skype by typing. A longer process but it will help avoid missing out key information. the hearing loss comes under the equality act and they should help you to work to the level as a normal hearing person.

Sncjw

Also to get your employer on side to acsess to work you could tell the, that having the equipment in place can help another person like yourself in the future as the equipment stays at employer if you move.

Takeaway_Addict

Sncjw wrote: »

They don't help with clarity at all. I have a dead ear in my right and severe loss in my left and although the sound is louder it isn't clear for me. I really struggle with background noise, tv, different people speaking. With the tv it isn't clear it is a blur of noise that's why I use subtitliesl

Dosh have you tried any loop system phones where you place hearing aid on t setting and then the phone call is placed direct in your ear. If that doesn't work well for you then ask work to communicate via email or skype by typing. A longer process but it will help avoid missing out key information. the hearing loss comes under the equality act and they should help you to work to the level as a normal hearing person.

It really depends on the business and how much phone use is required, if the company can adjust reasonably then great but it isn't carte blanche to force them to if it unreasonably disrupts business

Sncjw

True. But she hasn't said what kind of business it is. To dish I would mention it to your supervisor or anyone above you and then occupational health if you have one. Explain your problems and that your willing to communicate via other methods. Occupational health or manager may be able to help you.

dosh1

Sncjw wrote: »

Hi I have hearing issues so may be able to help.

Have your employers looked into acsess to work to get a telephone with a loop system on. The loop will cut out background noise and only connect the call to your hearing aid, I use one for my mobile phone but use a neckloop. It helps but I don't use it phonecals a lot as I still struggle.

When I was looking for work I did put on disability and ask what could be put in place when I attend interviews. I have tried an amplifier on telephone but doesn't help. Different equipment will be better for different people due to different level of loss. Now I'm lucky as I got a job not predominately telephone based. So could your employers make reasonable adjustments in your job by getting others to use phones or changing your job role slightly so you don't need to use phones. I know this may be hard due to managerial level may require more work on phones.
There is not much support out there for deaf as its a unseen disability plus a lot of asumptions are made due to people thinking hearing aids will give them normal hearing when it just amplifies what you can actually hear.

Your views and thoughts I can relate to (very much). Most of what you have suggested I have done already. Thanks for your feedback.

dosh1

queen_of_cheap wrote: »

You'll have a lot more on your side if you have an audiogram in front of you and an opinion from an ENT specialist as to the severity of your hearing loss and it's prognosis

I already regularly go to audiology mainly to service my hearing aids and at times have had to change the hearing aids as they don't appear to be helping me.

I perhaps need to speak to the audiology department to see how I can be referred to an ENT specialist who can do progrnosis. Haven't been totally happy with the consultant type feedback in the past. Been to two different consultants and neither could advise whether I had had the problem since birth or whether it came on in later life and also were not very forthcoming about what to expect in the future. Perhaps third time lucky!

dosh1

googler wrote: »

Is a headset and microphone rather than a traditional telephone an option?

google 'call centre (center) headsets'

Unfortunately this does not help my disability. I actually work in a company with a call centre and have tried already.....

dosh1

usefulmale wrote: »

As a fellow hard-of-hearing, I would urge you to drop phones altogether and have all communication via email. The benefits for you are a firm record of who said what and when.

I don't know about the culture at your workplace but at my previous office job, any screw-ups were attributed to 'usefulmale didn't hear / misheard what was said'.

My hearing loss cannot be corrected via hearing aids so that worked for me. Many people seem to assume that hearing aids do they same for hearing as spectacles can do for some visual disabilities. They can't. Hearing aids may add, say 30% to someones hearing but as I have a 75% loss in each ear (and getting worse), even if hearing aids COULD help me, I would still have at least a 45% loss of hearing in each ear.

Appreciate your response as it has struck a number of chords!